What is a word ladder?
A word ladder turns one word into another by changing one letter at a time. Every step on the way has to be a real word. It's simple to explain, and surprisingly hard to put down.
The rules
- Start with the first word and end with the second. Both have the same number of letters.
- Change exactly one letter at each step. You can't add, remove or rearrange letters.
- Every word along the way has to be a real word. Names and abbreviations don't count.
- Try to use as few steps as you can. In Veer, the shortest route through everyday words is called par.
Where word ladders come from
Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, invented the puzzle and called it Doublets. He published it in Vanity Fair in 1879, setting readers pairs of words to link. One of his best-known examples turns HEAD into TAIL:
Since then the puzzle has gone by many names, including word links, laddergrams and word golf, and it's a classroom favorite for building spelling and vocabulary. Veer turns it into a daily game: one ladder for everyone, every day.
How to solve a word ladder
- Count the letters that differ. That's the fewest steps you could possibly need. If par is higher, some letter has to change more than once.
- Use vowels as hinges. Swapping a vowel (CARD to CORD, BAND to BEND) opens up more new words than swapping a consonant. When you're stuck, try every vowel in the middle.
- Work backward from the target. List the words one letter away from the target, then aim for those instead. Meeting in the middle is often faster than pushing forward.
- Fix the letters that are easy to fix first. A change that keeps your word common keeps your options open. Rare words tend to be dead ends.
- Think in word families. Words like CARD, CORD, WORD, WARD and LORD share most of their letters, so families are where routes live.
- Don't be afraid to go sideways. Sometimes the shortest route changes a letter that was already right, then changes it back. On a word ladder, a detour can be the way through.
- Veer. If a route stalls, go back to an earlier word and branch off. In Veer you can change any word on the ladder, not just the last one.
Word ladder examples
From a quick three-letter climb to a long six-letter one:
SUN to BED
3 letters, 3 steps
APE to MAN
3 letters, 5 steps
COLD to WARM
4 letters, 4 steps
HEAD to TAIL
4 letters, 5 steps
MILK to CAKE
4 letters, 4 steps
LION to BEAR
4 letters, 5 steps
BLACK to WHITE
5 letters, 8 steps
BLACK · SLACK · SHACK · SHARK · SHARE · SHALE · WHALE · WHILE · WHITESUMMER to WINTER
6 letters, 13 steps
SUMMER · BUMMER · BUMPER · BUMPED · LUMPED · LIMPED · LISPED · LISTED · MISTED · MINTED · MINDED · WINDED · WINDER · WINTERWord ladders for teachers
Word ladders practice spelling, phonics and vocabulary in a few minutes, and they work at any level. There are printable word ladder worksheets in three, four and five letters, with answer keys.
Questions about word ladders
What is a word ladder?
A word ladder is a word puzzle: you turn one word into another by changing a single letter at a time, and every step along the way has to be a real word. COLD becomes WARM by way of CORD, CARD and WARD.
Who invented the word ladder?
Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He called the puzzle Doublets and published it in the magazine Vanity Fair in 1879.
What are word ladders also called?
Doublets, word links, laddergrams and word golf are all names for the same puzzle.
Can every pair of words be joined by a word ladder?
No. Both words need the same number of letters, and some words have no neighbors at all: no real word is one letter away from PIZZA. Most everyday words of three to five letters can be joined, though some routes are long.
What's the least number of steps a word ladder can take?
At least as many steps as there are letters that differ between the two words. COLD and WARM differ in all four letters, so they need at least four steps, and four is exactly par.